


Making Light

by pineovercoat



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Bad Puns, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, M/M, Pining, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22823794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineovercoat/pseuds/pineovercoat
Summary: Sora has a nightmare. Riku cheers him up. (With bad jokes, the way Mickey Mouse intended.)
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 107





	Making Light

**Author's Note:**

> none beta left beef

The roof of Yen Sid’s tower was eerily, unnervingly quiet- the kind of quiet that made you feel like you could hear your own heart beating outside of your chest in the half-dark beside you. It wasn't something most visitors braved alone, but if you chose to, the tower rewarded the courage handsomely- the view more than made up for the stubborn, creepy silence. Beholden to nothing, the rooftop was laid bare to the skies- no heavy blankets to weigh you down, no walls to enclose you, no doors to hold you in. Nothing could trap you out here in the light- or whatever passed for it in this realm.

It was usually also _empty_ , but after a night like the one Sora just had, he found he didn’t really mind the company. 

“Riku?” Sora asked, squinting out into the half-light. It certainly looked like Riku’s silhouette, strong and broad, his legs hanging over the edge of the roof in perfect stillness. “What are you doing out here?” 

Riku turned in an easy, unhurried half circle, like he’d been expecting him. Even at a distance, Sora could see there were bags under his eyes, and his face was tired and drawn, like he hadn’t slept either. Still, his eyebrows pitched up, insouciant, like- _I could ask you the same thing_.

“It’s so _early_ ,” Sora went on, uncowed. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Once again, his eyebrows shot deep into his hairline. Sora huffed, not quite amused, and scrubbed under his own eyes with the heels of his hands, as though that might wipe the evidence of his own weariness away. It was hoping for too much, he knew. His eyes felt waxen, heavy, and hot, and he was sure they looked even worse, bleary and a little bloodshot. ‘ _Rough night_ ’ might as well be written on his forehead. He stood in place, swaying, unsure of what exactly to do with himself now that he was here and especially now that Riku looking at him the way that he was: intense, intent, but not unkind.

There wasn't anything new in that look, not exactly, but recently there was something about it that forced Sora to stop and catch his breath. Maybe it was his own awareness, his self-consciousness. _He's looking at me,_ Sora found himself thinking, like that was novel, important, life-changing. Silly- it was only Riku. Even so, he was never sure if he wanted to straighten his spine under the scrutiny or hunch deep into his jacket for the rest of forever _._ It was like that now. _What's he looking for?_ Sora wondered. _What does he see?_

_His eyes are so bright. He’s so-_

The back of Sora’s neck pricked, and his cheeks went hot to match his tired eyes. _So_. Riku was a lot of things, and right now, he was sharp even through the fatigue. The truth Sora wanted to tell was already bubbling up in the back of his throat, threatening to spill from his open mouth, and what was the point in hiding it, anyway? Riku had an uncanny knack for seeing through even his most opaque white lies. Sora could see the understanding on his face even now, the quiet intelligence in his gaze, the encouragement, the unconditional acceptance that had brought the sheepish flush to his cheeks. But…

_I had a bad dream._ It felt so childish. Maybe even more so for the fact that he didn’t feel like he could say it out loud, and to Riku of all people. This dream hadn't been anything like the exam, just an ordinary nightmare, and he was supposed to be a _hero_ now, true to his heart, brave- not a kid who avoided sleeping for fear of the monsters under the bed. His teeth clicked as he shut his mouth. Loopholes. Did it really count as a lie if he didn’t speak at all? He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shook his head, half to break the tension, and half in hopes that Riku would pull off miracles like he always did and understand without him having to explain a thing.

It seemed he was in luck. Riku nodded, a barely perceptible dip of his chin. The set of his jaw changed, and it flowed all the way down through his shoulders, unspooling tension as it went. The effect was instantaneous- Sora felt himself unwind too and smiled, thin but grateful.

Riku gave another mute nod, then swept an arm out towards the horizon behind him. It was a grand, goofy gesture, and so unlike him that Sora pursed his lips, feeling more than a little lost. But Riku just repeated the motion, and this time followed the line of it, fluid as he twisted to face the distant, watery light. A beat, and then he turned back to Sora, his expression wiped curiously, thoroughly blank.

“Well,” he began, solemn, as he picked right up where Sora left off, “thing is, I was up all night wondering where the sun went.” 

“Uh... huh,” said Sora, voice thick with suspicion. 

Riku frowned at nothing in particular. He brought a hand up to that frown, scraping a thumb back and forth over his cheek, the picture of studious contemplation. After a moment, he shrugged. “I guess it just dawned on me.”

Sora paused, brow wrinkling. His mouth was already halfway open and ready to give voice to his confusion when he saw Riku’s lips twitch. In the next second, he cut a look over his shoulder, green and sly and sparkling, and the other shoe dropped.

Sora crossed his arms over his leaping heartbeat, but he was powerless to contain his grin or his surprised laugh. “Riku, that was _awful._ ”

“Nah,” said Riku. He curled his hand into a loose fist, knocking the tile beside him in a quick little triplet. “You want awful? I got awful.” 

Still beaming, Sora took up the offered place at his side. _Dawned._ He shook his head fondly, bumping Riku’s shoulder, and watched the answering smile curve until it touched Riku’s eyes, too. The way it changed them sparked something inside of him, too, melting the worst of the tight, feverish exhaustion away into steady, comforting warmth. “Okay. Do your worst.”

“Alright, but you asked for it." Riku cleared his throat, and just like that, the night and all its terrors seemed far away. “So, a star comes fourth place in a race--” 

**Author's Note:**

> ⭐ something something, constellation prize! ba dum tiss ⭐


End file.
